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Highlights
- Dillon Brooks suggests recruiting Jamal Murray, Andrew Nembhard, and Andrew Wiggins for Team Canada for the Paris Olympics.
- Availability has been a major concern for the trio in their respective NBA careers.
- Brooks, a key leader for Team Canada, emphasizes pride in representing his country.
After a third-place finish in the 2023 FIBA World Cup, Houston Rockets forward Dillon Brooks has named several NBA players that he would like to see join the Canadian national basketball team when they compete in the Paris Olympics this summer.
Per John Chidley-Hill of the Canadian Press, Brooks believes that Denver Nuggets guard Jamal Murray, Indiana Pacers guard Andrew Nembhard, and Golden State Warriors wing Andrew Wiggins would be worthwhile additions to Team Canada after they shocked the world by downing Team USA in the bronze medal game.
“I said this after we won the bronze… we gotta re-up. We gotta get better. So add Jamal, add in Nembhard, add in Wiggins. That’s going to make our team better. Those guys are selfless players. They’ve played with Team Canada before.”
The Best Ability is Availability
Biggest obstacle for the NBA trio is their health
While Murray, Nembhard, and Wiggins could all join the national team for the 2024 Summer Olympics, their primary obstacle will be availability.
Murray has played in fewer than 60 games in four of the last five seasons. Playing just 55.1 percent of all possible regular season games, Murray is notoriously injury-prone. To that point, both he and his franchise may be hesitant to have him participate in the Olympics.
Nonetheless, Murray is a proud and passionate player whose presence will be felt on the court, particularly on the offensive end. In the midst of a career season, the 27-year-old Kitchener, Ont., native is averaging 21.2 points and 6.6 assists per game while shooting 48.3 percent from the field and 42.0 percent from three.
|
Jamal Murray – 2023-24 On/Off-Court Splits |
||
|---|---|---|
|
Category |
On-Court |
Off-Court |
|
Offensive Rating |
120.0 |
112.9 |
|
Defensive Rating |
112.7 |
111.1 |
|
Net Rating |
7.3 |
1.8 |
|
Field goal % |
51.5 |
47.6 |
|
3-point field goal % |
38.8 |
35.2 |
Nembhard is the youngest and least experienced player that Brooks mentioned, as he’s now in his second season at 24 years old. Yet, his youth conceals his headiness, and the two-way playmaker routinely elevates his team’s play at both ends of the floor.
This season, the Aurora, Ont., native is averaging 9.0 points, 4.3 assists, and 1.0 steal in just 23.8 minutes per game. There is a bit of concern about his durability though, as he missed 14 games this season with a bone bruise in his right knee.
Wiggins hasn’t been injury prone, but he’s missed 29 games over the past two seasons for personal reasons. While the reason for his absences hasn’t been completely revealed, it appears that the former No. 1 pick has met adversity off the court.
That doesn’t mean that the Toronto native will miss games during the Olympics, but it’s impossible to say whether he would or wouldn’t with any certainty. That being said, while Murray is having a career season, Wiggins has declined.
He still shows flashes of his old self, and his defense is more reliable than not. However, he’s averaging career-lows of 12.5 points and 0.6 steals per game while shooting just 35.4 percent from three.
Brooks is a Key Leader for Canada
Fiery guard has appeared in several tournaments for Team Canada, starting in 2013
Brooks is a key veteran for his NBA team. Passionate and gregarious, his intangibles have allowed him to be a leader for both the Rockets and the Memphis Grizzlies since being drafted in 2017. However, while his role in the NBA has been well-documented, his position with Team Canada has been an afterthought.
Having played for the Canadian men’s national basketball team in the 2017 Americas World Cup Qualifier and the 2023 FIBA World Cup, Brooks has plenty of experience with Team Canada. In fact, the Mississauga native also played for Canada’s Junior Team.
In 2013, Brooks received his first taste of what playing for his home country would be like as Canada finished seventh-place in the NIKE Global Challenge, a non-FIBA event. The next year, Brooks returned to the national team for adidas Nations, another non-FIBA tournament.
|
Dillon Brooks — Team Canada Experience |
|||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Tournament |
Year |
GP |
Finish |
|
Nike Global Challenge |
2013 |
4 |
7th |
|
adidas Nations |
2014 |
4 |
6th |
|
U18 Americas Championship |
2014 |
5 |
Silver |
|
Pan American Games |
2015 |
4 |
Silver |
|
U19 World Cup |
2015 |
6 |
5th |
|
Americas World Cup Qualifier |
2017 |
2 |
Gold |
|
FIBA World Cup |
2023 |
8 |
Bronze |
|
Paris Olympics |
2024 |
TBD |
TBD |
However, Brooks also competed in the 2014 U18 Americas Championship tournament that year, which was a FIBA event. In 2015, again double-dipping by landing a spot in FIBA and non-FIBA events, Brooks competed in the Pan American Games and the U19 World Cup.
In all, Brooks would play 23 games for Team Canada before he even earned a spot on the Senior Team.
“When you come and play for your country, it’s all about the pride. Not about the money… not about anything else except pride and representing your country.”
In some ways, Brooks is the heart and soul of Team Canada; their emotional leader. Right now, he’s also the most outspoken recruiter.
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